A casino four miles from the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field aims to offer Wisconsin sports betting this NFL season.
The Oneida Nation is the first tribe to receive approval to offer sports betting in Wisconsin. The tribe plans to launch sports betting sometime during the NFL season.
“We anticipated having our sportsbook up and operational for the beginning of the NFL season,” Oneida Tribe Spokesperson Nate Wisneski told LSR. “Necessary system and equipment components are on backorder. We now anticipate being open by November of this year.”
Oneida sports betting partner
International Game Technology (IGT) announced Thursday it will back the tribe’s retail sports betting offerings at its Oneida Casino in Green Bay.
“We look forward to partnering with IGT to introduce sports betting to our loyal patrons and becoming the first casino in Wisconsin to operate a sportsbook,” Oneida Casino Gaming General Manager Louise Cornelius said in a release.
Bettors will be able to place bets at ticket windows, kiosks and mobile devices on casino property. The tribe might expand sports betting in Wisconsin to its other four Green Bay area establishments in the future.
Amended compact allows sports betting
In July, the Oneida Nation became the first tribe in Wisconsin to renegotiate its compact with the state to include sports betting. The Department of the Interior approved the amended compact in August.
With the main casino’s location near Lambeau Field, the tribe originally wanted to launch by the start of the season. The casino is an official partner of the Packers.
The compact does not allow betting on in-state college sports.
Wisconsin sports betting expansion?
There are 11 tribes in the state operating 27 gaming facilities. With the Oneida Nation’s amended compact, other tribes might feel encouraged to update their deals with the state.
Beyond the retail offerings at casinos, the state legislature would need to legalize mobile sports betting to allow companies like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel into the state.
There has been no legislative movement to legalize commercial sports betting in Wisconsin. That could be in the cards at some point, however, as neighboring states Illinois, Iowa and Michigan have mobile sports betting and could be siphoning tax dollars from the state.
Tribal updates across US
In Washington, the Washington State Gambling Commission approved 16 tribal compacts in June. On Sept. 1, the Department of Interior published nine of the updated gaming compacts in the Federal Register.
The Federal Register likely will publish the remaining seven in the coming days, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
In North Dakota, the Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise plans to open a retail sportsbook at the Dakota Magic Casino.
